Third Trimester Development of Central Autonomic Network Connectivity is Altered in an Extrauterine Environment.

Introduction: The Central Autonomic Network (CAN), which involves complex interconnected brain regions that modulate the autonomic nervous system, may be key to understanding higher risk for psychosocial and behavioral challenges in preterm neonates.

Methods: We compared resting state functional connectivity of the CAN in 94 healthy term-born controls and 94 preterm infants at term-equivalent age (TEA). In preterm infants we correlated CAN connectivity with postmenstrual age (PMA).

Brain development using a multicomponent intravenous lipid emulsion in preterm infants.

Background: Intravenous lipid emulsions are an essential component of nutritional support for very preterm infants. Many neonatal intensive care units have transitioned from traditional soybean oil-only to fish oil-containing multicomponent lipid emulsions, but the neurodevelopmental implications have not been well-explored. The primary aim of this study was to assess extrauterine third trimester brain growth in very preterm infants supported with soybean oil-only compared to fish-oil containing multicomponent lipid emulsions; white matter development and neurobehavioral regulation at term were also investigated.

Asymmetry of Directed Brain Connectivity at Birth in Low-Risk Full-Term Newborns.

Purpose: Functional connectivity hubs were previously identified at the source level in low-risk full-term newborns by high-density electroencephalography (HD-EEG). However, the directionality of information flow among hubs remains unclear. The aim of this study was to study the directionality of information flow among source level hubs in low-risk full-term newborns using HD-EEG.

Single vs. multi-slice assessments of in vivo placental T2∗ measurements.

Introduction: Placental health is vital for maternal and fetal well-being, and placental T2∗ has been suggested to identify in vivo placental dysfunction prior to delivery. However, ideal regions of interest to best inform functional assessments of the placenta remain unknown. The aim of this study is to compare global and slice-wise measures of in-vivo placental T2∗ assessments.

Technical considerations for placental tissue processing and the subsequent impact on genome-wide DNA methylation analysis.

To assess the impact of postnatal processing on placental DNA methylation, array data from flash-frozen placental tissue was compared to perfluorocarbon-immersed and formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded placental tissue. We observed that tissue exposed to perfluorocarbon showed no significant DNA methylation differences when compared to unprocessed tissue, while formalin processing altered the quality and reliability of the data produced on the DNA methylation array platform. Placental DNA methylation allows for the study of gene-environment interactions that influence the fetal environment and development.

Circadian rhythm development in preterm infants. The role of postnatal versus postmenstrual age.

Background, Aims: Circadian rhythm maturation may be disturbed in premature infants undergoing neonatal intensive care. We used continuous heart rate recordings across the entire neonatal intensive care period to study circadian rhythm development in preterm infants and to evaluate the roles of postmenstrual (PMA) versus postnatal age (PNA).

Materials And Methods: The circadian rhythm was calculated using a cosine fit of heart rate.

Feasibility and success of a non-sedated brain MRI training protocol in 7-year-old children from rural and semi-rural Colombia.

Background: Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a crucial tool for clinical evaluation of the brain and neuroscience research. Obtaining successful non-sedated MRI in children who live in resource-limited settings may be an additional challenge.

Objective: To present a feasibility study of a novel, low-cost MRI training protocol used in a clinical research study in a rural/semi-rural region of Colombia and to examine neurodevelopmental factors associated with successful scans.

Prenatal Maternal Psychological Distress During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Newborn Brain Development.

Importance: Elevated maternal psychological distress during pregnancy is associated with altered fetal brain development. During the COVID-19 pandemic, prenatal maternal psychological distress more than doubled.

Objective: To examine the association of the pandemic and rising maternal psychological distress with brain growth in newborns using quantitative 3-dimensional volumetric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Cerebellar volume and functional connectivity in neonates predicts social and emotional development in toddlers.

Over the past decade, a growing body of research in adults has emphasized the role of the cerebellum in social and emotional cognition. This has been further supported by findings of delayed social and emotional development in toddlers with cerebellar injury during the fetal and newborn periods. However, the contributions of the cerebellum to social-emotional development in typically developing newborns are unclear.

Regional homogeneity as a marker of sensory cortex dysmaturity in preterm infants.

Atypical perinatal sensory experience in preterm infants is thought to increase their risk of neurodevelopmental disabilities by altering the development of the sensory cortices. Here, we used resting-state fMRI data from preterm and term-born infants scanned between 32 and 48 weeks post-menstrual age to assess the effect of early ex-utero exposure on sensory cortex development. Specifically, we utilized a measure of local correlated-ness called regional homogeneity (ReHo).

Association of brain functional connectivity with neurodevelopmental outcomes in healthy full-term newborns.

Objective: To study the association between neurodevelopmental outcomes and functional brain connectivity (FBC) in healthy term infants.

Methods: This is a retrospective study of prospectively collected High-density electroencephalography (HD-EEG) from newborns within 72 hours from birth. Developmental assessments were performed at two years of age using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-III (BSID-III) measuring cognitive, language, motor, and socio-emotional scores.

Intrauterine exposure to SARS-CoV-2 infection and early newborn brain development.

Epidemiologic studies suggest that prenatal exposures to certain viruses may influence early neurodevelopment, predisposing offspring to neuropsychiatric conditions later in life. The long-term effects of maternal COVID-19 infection in pregnancy on early brain development, however, remain largely unknown. We prospectively enrolled infants in an observational cohort study for a single-site study in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area from June 2020 to November 2021 and compared these infants to pre-pandemic controls (studied March 2014-February 2020).

Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy of Brain Metabolism in Fetuses With Congenital Heart Disease.

Background: Congenital heart disease (CHD) remains a significant risk factor for neurologic injury because altered fetal hemodynamics may be unable to support typical brain development during critical periods of growth and maturation.

Objectives: The primary objective was to assess differences in the cerebral biochemical profile between healthy fetuses and fetuses with complex CHD and to relate these with infant outcomes.

Methods: Pregnant participants underwent fetal magnetic resonance imaging with cerebral proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy acquisitions as part of a prospective observational study.

Examining the relationship between fetal cortical thickness, gestational age, and maternal psychological distress.

In utero exposure to maternal stress, anxiety, and depression has been associated with reduced cortical thickness (CT), and CT changes, in turn, to adverse neuropsychiatric outcomes. Here, we investigated global and regional (G/RCT) changes associated with fetal exposure to maternal psychological distress in 265 brain MRI studies from 177 healthy fetuses of low-risk pregnant women. GCT was measured from cortical gray matter (CGM) voxels; RCT was estimated from 82 cortical regions.

Influence of maternal psychological distress during COVID-19 pandemic on placental morphometry and texture.

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been accompanied by increased prenatal maternal distress (PMD). PMD is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes which may be mediated by the placenta. However, the potential impact of the pandemic on in vivo placental development remains unknown.

Functional brain network properties of healthy full-term newborns quantified by scalp and source-reconstructed EEG.

Objective: Identifying the functional brain network properties of term low-risk newborns using high-density EEG (HD-EEG) and comparing these properties with those of established functional magnetic resonance image (fMRI) - based networks.

Methods: HD-EEG was collected from 113 low-risk term newborns before delivery hospital discharge and within 72 hours of birth. Functional brain networks were reconstructed using coherence at the scalp and source levels in delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma frequency bands.

Systematic evaluation of head motion on resting-state functional connectivity MRI in the neonate.

Reliability and robustness of resting state functional connectivity MRI (rs-fcMRI) relies, in part, on minimizing the influence of head motion on measured brain signals. The confounding effects of head motion on functional connectivity have been extensively studied in adults, but its impact on newborn brain connectivity remains unexplored. Here, using a large newborn data set consisting of 159 rs-fcMRI scans acquired in the Developing Brain Institute at Children's National Hospital and 416 scans from The Developing Human Connectome Project (dHCP), we systematically investigated associations between head motion and rs-fcMRI.

Impaired in vivo feto-placental development is associated with neonatal neurobehavioral outcomes.

Background: Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is a risk factor for neurodevelopmental problems, yet remains poorly understood. We sought to examine the relationship between intrauterine development and neonatal neurobehavior in pregnancies diagnosed with antenatal FGR.

Methods: We recruited women with singleton pregnancies diagnosed with FGR and measured placental and fetal brain volumes using MRI.

Outcomes of Babies with Opioid Exposure (OBOE): protocol of a prospective longitudinal cohort study.

Background: While the health, social, and economic impacts of opioid addiction on adults and their communities are well known, the impact of maternal opioid use on the fetus exposed in utero is less well understood.

Methods: This paper presents the protocol of the ACT NOW Outcomes of Babies with Opioid Exposure (OBOE) Study, a multi-site prospective longitudinal cohort study of infants with antenatal opioid exposure and unexposed controls. Study objectives are to determine the impact of antenatal opioid exposure on brain development and neurodevelopmental outcomes over the first 2 years of life and explore whether family, home, and community factors modify developmental trajectories during this critical time period.

Electroencephalogram in low-risk term newborns predicts neurodevelopmental metrics at age two years.

Objective: To determine whether neurodevelopmental biomarkers at 2 years of age are already present in the newborns' EEG at birth.

Methods: Low-risk term newborns were enrolled and studied utilizing EEG prior to discharge from the birth hospital. A 14-channel EEG montage (scalp-level) and source signals were calculated using the EEG.